Guest post by Jason Lauritsen We love to blame managers when things go wrong. Employee turnover goes up—it’s because they are leaving their manager. Performance goes down—it’s probably because the manager isn’t providing feedback. The survey says employees are disengaged—we look to the manager as the cause. And while there is some truth in all…
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I’ve been making my living as a keynote speaker for the past eleven years. I like my job. It’s allowed me to visit dozens of cities and countries I might otherwise never have seen. It affords more flexibility than almost any other career I can imagine. (Careers with more flexibility include ‘part-time sock collector,’ which…
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So, today is Administrative Professionals Day, and bosses the world over are asking their administrative assistants to pick out presents for themselves that their bosses can then pretend to give them. If I were an administrative assistant, I would probably buy myself a helicopter and then write my boss the nicest thank-you note ever. Better to…
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Oh, the little things. They shouldn’t matter as much as they do, right? After all, there’s war and famine and crushing poverty in various places around the world, which means that our tiny little problems shouldn’t bother us like they do. That’s what I keep telling myself, anyway. But then someone decides to poke me,…
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One of the most difficult parts of having to work with other people is dealing with anyone who seemingly revels in refusing to consider anything you suggest before you’re even done suggesting it. You’ve got an idea you think might work, you make the mistake of getting excited about it, you then make the further…
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Figuring out how to deal with change is one of the more difficult elements of professional life. I’ve spoken at close to 1,000 conferences at this point, and the vast majority of my clients want me to help prepare their attendees for upcoming changes or to help smooth the transition from a change that got…
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If you’re even halfway interested in becoming a better leader, then I’m sure you’ve read dozens of books and articles and case studies about leadership. You’ve probably seen a few statistics that have made you really stop and think about your own approach to management and leadership. But you’ve never seen a statistic like this…
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Welcome to almost spring! With any luck the snow is finally melting and turning your backyard into a slushy mudpile you won’t want to walk in for a month. The birds are returning to peck holes into the side of your home, your friendly neighborhood bears are coming out of hibernation, and any Southerners reading…
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As you may already know, I do a lot of my work from home when I’m not traveling. (I used to do a lot of my work out of other people’s homes, but they eventually found out what I was doing and started calling the cops.) That is usually a beautiful thing, since my wife…
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Happy March everyone! I hope your 2017 is off to a great start! For me personally, the year is moving too fast. I had so many goals to start the year and frankly I’m feeling a little behind. I haven’t gotten more “organized,” I’m still rocking my extra Christmas weight, and I’ve made literally zero…
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I had an inspiration in the shower today. That happens fairly often, and not just because I’m a compulsive bather (I shower almost every day – my mom would be so proud!). I think it’s because the shower is one of the very few places in my life when I am not at all in…
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Hey everyone! For those of you who read my newsletter often, you’ll know that I usually begin with a whimsical paragraph filled with wonder and whimsy (I like the word whimsy, so I used it twice. Three times now.) This time, though, will be a bit different. I speak often about the importance of small…
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We have recently released our 4-part series on Collaborative Space Etiquette to the member section of JeffHavens.com. Of course we messed up a few times and wanted to share some of the moments that made us laugh. We hope you get a laugh and make sure sign up to get full access to all of…
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Thanks very much, everyone. It is an honor for me to introduce our next guest. He has been a professor of Aerodynamics at California Polytechnic Institute for the past 17 years. He’s on the board of… And you’re already not paying attention.
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Hello, and welcome to another stupid year! Or another amazing year – it’s really yet to be determined what kind of year it’s going to be. But it definitely promises to be an interesting year, for me at least, because I’m going to become a father. This is officially the last month of my life…
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If you’re at all like me, then you’ll remember group projects from high school with a mixture of frustration and more frustration. Your history teacher assigned four of you to present a report about the Civil War, and you stayed up late three nights in a row sewing a perfect replica of a Union general’s…
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This rhyme is for you, And please let’s be plain. You’re planning a conference So you must be insane. Perhaps you’re a newbie And if that is so Allow me to tell you What the rest of us know. You’ll visit the venue And be treated top notch They’ll ply you with sturgeon And single…
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Hey everyone! I just delivered a webinar with BizLibrary to 750 people about generational issues in the workplace. It went pretty well, if the lack of death threats is any indication, and several people asked follow-up questions about specific issues they were facing at work. Since I thought some of you might be facing the…
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Hello, and welcome to the end of 2016! It feels a bit like a break-up. I mean, I know I’m never going to see 2016 again, but am I making the right decision? Should I really be leaving 2016 for 2017? I mean, I hardly even know 2017. What if she’s not as good for…
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Yes, we’ve posted this video for the last couple of years, but it’s still fun and hopefully encourages everyone to get in the right spirit for the holiday season!
My wife works at a giant company which recently announced they were going to merge with another giant company in order to create an ever gianter company with a handful of baby subsidiary spinoff companies that will each also be giant companies all by themselves. From the outside, it looks to me like a not-so-subtle…
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